Vehicle-tire.



G. F. JENKINS.

VEHICLE TIRE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1912.

1,062,011, Patented May 20, 1913. I

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' vnmeLn-rr'an.

To all whom it mdy concern:

Be it known that I, Cma'nns FRANCIS JENKINS, a citizen of the United States, rev siding at Washington, in. the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and Improvements in Vehicle Tires, of which the following'is a .specification, ref-- had therein to theacgompanying drawing.

This invention relates to tires for heavy vehicles and'especially' such as are madeof wood, the general ob ect being to avoid the usual results of expansion and contraction of.

the wood under varying weather conditions,

or change in the amount of moisture in the wood. The desired ends are reached by using an annular'heavy spring within the wood or at some distance from its tread *sur co, in such manner that'it is protected from abrasion resulting from contactl with the roadway. r

In the accompanying drawings, .showing the preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 shows in side elevation .a portion of a tire embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional viewkof the same tire. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the parts slightly separated as in the final step of assembling. Fig. 4 is a side view,

partly in section, showing the preferred manner of connecting the ends of the sprlng.

' Figs. 5 and 6 are cross sections of. different forms of rods from which is sometimes made.

In these figures, A represents the tire which is made up of woodblocks B, B put together to form right and left rings extending around the wheel and constituting the spring coil closely contiguous nalves of the wood body. v

The'meeting faces of the rings are provided with annular registering grooves, B at some distance from the tread surface, and

I, in the tubular passage formed by the grooves, when the halves are thus put together, lies a very strong annular spring,

preferably a helical coil 0' formed from a round or a rectangular rod such as is indicated in Figs. 5 or 6. From one end of this coil projects a coil C of slightly greater diameter externally than the interior of the I Qpeciflcation of Letters Patent. Appllcdtion fled as" 27', 1912. Serial 110. 796,188.

- roadway.

main coil. .This smalle i' coil is inserted in the open opposite endof'the main coil, usus Patentedfltiay I913.

ally b forcibly imparting to the main'c'oil a sligli tlarger coil.

The two rings of wood are placed in anunwindin'g' movement, enteringthe .smaller coil therein and then releasing the. 5 5

gle irons- D, D, res ctivelyfthe endless spring band is. place between the halves,

and they are then drawn ,to th'erby' bolts D.'-,.when the tire is ready 120% 60, placed upon .4 'the wheel, where it is secured by devices not shown. The diameter of the coil isslightly less than the diameter of the channel in which it lies and'the diameter of the spring ring isslightly less than the diameter of the" ring formed by the annular passage.

The sprlng ring is placed between the halves of; the tire body as shown-in Fig. 3 and when the halves are drawntogether by the bolts,

the spring being of circular cross section, is

forciblystretched and is under high tension when it reaches its place between the meeting wood ringspand if thereafter the.

wood expands, the spring yields slightly .while if it shrinks the spring contracts, an

thus the wood is always firmly held. In

this form, the spring is fully protected upon all sides, although this is not indispensable,

and in every embodiment of the invention it is-essential that the spring should lie at somedistance within the tread-surface so that it may not meet the surface of the It may be noted that in all cases the tile presents -.a large traction surface, the two halves, so far as this feature is concerned, being as effective as if the tire were undivided,

and further that while I haveshown the tire body as made up of but two rings I do not wish to limit myself'to a partlcular number,

whether one or more. What I claim 1s:

The combination of a 'tirebody made up of an annular series of wood blocks, divided in its own planeand having the meeting faces of the two rings of blocks provided with annular registering grooves forming an annular closed channel, a longitudinally extensible spring, adapted to lie in said channel, formed into a continuous ring having its internal diameter normally less than that of the annular channel, and means for forcing and binding together the two annular members of said body, to extend said spring and inclose it insaid channel.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES FRANCIS JENKINS. Witnesses:

JAMEs L. CRAWFORD, .ROBERT CRAIG GREENE. 

